I think my cat may have had a taste of chocolate!!!!!!!

I think my Timmy may have gotten a piece of chocolate! What should I look for? Should I bring him to the vet even if I am not sure??? Oh, I am in a panic.

Oh, I am a better mommy than this...my sister just visited and brought a small bag of that chocolate that you melt from a candy shoppe and I didn't get to put it away right away. Then when I turned around the bag had a hole in it and a piece was kind of bitten. Should I panic or just wait and see?

Has this ever happened to anybody before? What happened?

Thanks for any help! (as usual!)

Take a deep breath!

Was it baking chocolate or like a milk chocolate candy bar type of thing? The baking chocolate is more poisonous. I had a tiny miniature poodle eat a bunch of a milk chocolate Easter bunny once when I was pet-sitting and she was fine. Let me tell you, I felt the same way then that you are feeling.

I would say at least call your vet, let them know what you think was eaten. It will depend on how much/what kind of chocolate Timmy ate, how big he is, etc. He my not show any symptoms right away, so please call your vet and let them know what happened.

How much of it did he eat? If it was just a tiny bit, he's probably going to be just fine, especially if he is a larger cat and not a tiny kitten. Mystik Spiral's advice is right on, call your vet and give as many details as you can. And if you aren't seeing any weird symptoms, that's a good sign.

When I was in grade school, my mother made chocolate milk (remember Bosco?) for my thermos. We had a very "controlling," shall we say, cat in those days. She had to give him all the leftover chocolate milk in his bowl every morning, or he would attack her, biting hard. One weekends and in summer, we had to make a little bowl of chocolate milk for him, or face the bloody consequences.

We knew nothing about the dangers of chocolate, and when we found out, we were too scared of upsetting the psychopath to change our ways. He lived to be 11, and died when I was in college: a long life for an indoor-outdoor street-fighter. He also liked to chomp on my brother's cigarettes when he left a pack around. The most amazing part of this story is that my parents allowed me to bring home another cat after those years of terror.

Oh, Thank you so much for answering! I have taken that deep breath and I will be more calm. It's so hard when you think the little ones are in trouble.

It wasn't baking chocolate. It was the kind that you buy at the candy molding store to melt and pour into the molds. I think that he bit through the plastic bag ( he always wants to lick plastic bags) and just bit through a piece and left the pieces...But I can't be sure.

My vet has already left for the day...is it worth an emergency call if I am not sure?

If you have someone to call it would be a good idea. It's good that it wasn't baking chocolate. If he only had a small amount, or just bit through a piece, I'm sure he'll be fine. Watch him for vomiting, diarrhea, and fast breathing/heart rate. The reason I'd still try to call is they may want you to try to get him to vomit if he ate a large amount. But it really sounds like he ate very little, if any, of the chocolate, in which case I have no doubt he will be just fine.

Thank you both so much. You have really calmed me down. And thank you for making me laugh out loud, Bunnelina! Your cat sounds like he was quite the handful!

So far Timmy isn't exhibiting any symptoms. I gave him a handful of crunchies and he ate and now he's just looking at me as if to say "What's your problem Ma?"

I will keep you posted if anything changes.

To put this all in perspective, our first cat loved chocolate chip cookies. He didn't usually get the chips, but he would occasionally get some. He ate them all his life, and lived to a ripe old age.

Mind you, I wouldn't give it to a cat now, but we all get wiser with time, I hope.

Unless you are sure he really ate a large chunk or is showing strange symptoms, I would not worry, certainly not enough to call the emergency vet. I have had cats lick chocolate and even taste it, with no symptoms. Most are not like Bunnelina's cat (that was a funny story) and do not like it, so a small taste out of curiosity is all they will take,

How is Timmy today?

I hope your cat will be fine.

Timmy is fine today. I am so relieved!! I guess he just wanted that plastic bag and the chocolate got in his way.

I thank you all so much, I really panicked yesterday when I saw what looked like two teeth marks in a piece, but with all the little pieces around it, I couldn't tell if he had eaten any.

I checked on him twice during the night and he was sleeping comfortably.

Once again, Thank you! This forum has the nicest people on it.

I'm glad Timmy is fine. I have another cat and chocolate story to add. My RB girl Shasta was not quite as tyrannical as Bunnelina's boy, but chocolate ice cream was one of those things I could not have without giving her some -- and I had it often. She lived to 21+ with no ill effects. It was only after she was gone that I learned of the dangers of chocolate and assorted other things that she loved.

Scritches to your little adventurer and for his Mom.

I'm glad Timmy is OK! Thanks for the update.

Originally Posted by JIL05

This forum has the nicest people on it.

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Originally Posted by rapunzel47

I'm glad Timmy is fine. I have another cat and chocolate story to add. My RB girl Shasta was not quite as tyrannical as Bunnelina's boy, but chocolate ice cream was one of those things I could not have without giving her some -- and I had it often. She lived to 21+ with no ill effects. It was only after she was gone that I learned of the dangers of chocolate and assorted other things that she loved.

Scritches to your little adventurer

and

for his Mom.

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I'm glad Timmy is fine and I hope he stays out of chocolate from now on.

I'd almost forgotten that Kelly, our terrorist tabby, would attack my sister as she lay on the sofa late at night, to get to her ice cream bowl. She'd be watching "Night Gallery" and would peer over the edge of the sofa to find his glassy, dilated eyes fixed on her, ears straight back. Then he'd pounce. We'd be in bed, hear her yell, and go back to sleep: just Kelly and his ice cream... it wasn't often enough to be very predictable. He liked to catch us off guard.

I hope and believe that Timmy will never be like Kelly, and never agitate for chocolate or chase people he doesn't like out of your house. If he does, you'll have a VERY interesting life with him, with a lot of scars. Kelly did let me dress him up and put my sister's blue mascara on his whiskers. After 30 years, we still miss him.

Originally Posted by Bunnelina

Kelly did let me dress him up and put my sister's blue mascara on his whiskers. After 30 years, we still miss him.

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Is this the Bosco cat? If so (or even if not ), that's a very special little guy. What a character, it sounds like he had personality to spare!!

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

Is this the Bosco cat?

If so (or even if not

), that's a very special little guy. What a character, it sounds like he had personality to spare!!

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Yes, that was Kelly. I've never come across another cat like him. If I did, I'd give him to my sister!